J&K LG reviews NHPC projects

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday took a comprehensive review of the status of various projects of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) in the Union Territory, an official spokesperson said. He said the review was taken in a meeting at the Raj Bhavan.

With the intervention of the Lt Governor, modalities have been finalised for the upcoming 850 MW new joint venture Ratle project which will augment the existing power generation capacity in the region, the spokesperson said. He said the meeting also decided that the supplementary memorandum of understanding will be finalised through joint discussions between the Union Ministry of Power, union territory administration (Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation Limited) and NHPC.

The spokesperson said threadbare discussions were also held to fast-track the execution of the upcoming Pakal Dul, Kiru, and Kwar projects. Cumulatively, the upcoming power projects will generate 6,298 MW of power at the cost of Rs 54,593 crores substantially enhancing the power generation capacity in the region, he said.

Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), NHPC Limited, A K Singh briefed the Lt Governor regarding the details of commissioned and generation capacity of NHPC's power stations across Jammu and Kashmir, besides the present status of the NHPC projects under execution in the UT, the spokesperson said.

Sinha was briefed about the completed projects of NHPC and their generation capacity included - power stations - Salal (stage I & II) MW 690, URI-I MW 480, Dulhasti MW 390, Sewa II MW 120, Uri II MW 240 and Kishanganga MW 330, collectively generating 2250 MW.

The Lt Governor issued directions for completion of ongoing projects and called for better synergy between agencies for making the UT a power surplus region in the country and to remove bottlenecks, if any, hampering the completion of projects, the spokesperson said.

Sinha directed the concerned officers to ensure completion of all projects within the set timelines. He also asked the NHPC functionaries to take innovative measures and explore various conventional and non-conventional sources for the development of the hydropower sector in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Lt Governor enquired about the CSR works being carried out by the NHPC in the field of healthcare, education, Swachh Bharat and vocational training and also sought details of employment generated through NHPC projects for the residents of the UT, the spokesperson said.

(Image Credits: PTI)